Welcome to the Big Blue and Sider or Dick Gabriel with you on a Friday edition of our shows, we wrap up the week. Coming up, we're gonna preview the Belmont with Alis Starr, the uber Kapper. We'll try to make a little money. He try to help you make a little money as well. On the third Jewel of Racing's Triple Crown. No triple Crown winner this year, as you know, but top three finishers from the Kentucky Derby
will lock up again. Plus it also matches the winner of the Derby against the winner of the Preakness, So it's going to be fun. I loved racing anyway, but it's always more fun when there's a triple Crown on the line. But Elis will help us with that. And then we'll talk to mister Baseball, Brian Milam, sports director from WKYT. We will talk football and basketball, but Brian, we'll slip in a little bit of baseball as well.
It is June sixth, It is the anniversary of D Day, and boy, last year on the anniversary of D Day, there were so many documentaries I found myself immersed in so many specials and docs on world War two. It was incredible. I'm not sure why. I mean, I'm of a certain age where I've been around for a while and I've read about World War Two. I've seen a lot of movies and documentaries, but for some reason last year it just seemed like I got into it so
much more. And you know, watch documentary series and things like that. But the date rolls around again, and you know, it's it's a topic of conversation. What's being taught in school these days? You know, And we can debate that all night long, but you know, it's it's just something that needs to be discussed. Pearl Harbor needs to be discussed more than other things. But D Day basically saved the free world. And my kids are long out of school,
so I have no idea what's being taught now. But it's a good opportunity now with so many quality products out there in terms of documentaries that I really believe school should be using those as much as written material books or online information about topics like D Day. I remember watching Ken Burns documentary on the Vietnam War. It was sensational and just about everything he does really is. But you know, I lived through when I was a teenager much younger as well. The Vietnam War and my
draft class. I was eligible for the draft, but my status was one H, which meant one holding because they still had the draft back then, but they had stopped it for a while, so had they started it back up, I would have been reassigned a number. They would have had that lottery thing where your birthday comes up and
that's the sides who goes in when. But my draft status I had a draft card was one H. But you know, what I knew about the Vietnam War was what I heard and read on TV, radio, newspapers, things like that. But it was, you know, nippets here and there. I didn't do any deep dive until I read some
things about the Vietnam War. But when I watched Ken Burns's documentary, it all came back to me, all the names of the places, the battles, the people, and it kind of condensed it and this huge chunk of information, And now I have more understanding all these years later of the Vietnam War compared to what I have back in the day. I think that's what they needed to use to teach kids today about events like June sixth, nineteen forty four. I will tell you this though on
the lighter side, it is National Donut Day. Yeah, that's right. This goes back to World War One. Actually, it began in nineteen thirty eight as a day to honor and recognize Red Cross volunteers who distributed donuts to soldiers in World War One, and so they began to recognize National Donuts Day in nineteen thirty eight. I did not know that. I know there was a National Donut Day. I couldn't have told you to date. I didn't know there are
other donut holidays. National Jelly Filled Donut Day is June eighth. That's Sunday. Sometimes it says June ninth, but usually June eighth. That's me. I'm a jelly filled donut kind of guy. And if you listen to the show earlier this week with Cameron Mills, we talked about donuts at length because Cameron, when he got out of school, had some barnstorming money in his pocket. He thought, Hey, we don't have a Krispy Kreme donut shop here in Lexington, and so he
tried to alleviate that situation. We're going to share more about that with you if you missed it later in the show. National Cream Filled Donut Day is celebrated on September fourteenth. That's a day before my birthday. I am not a cream filled donut guy. No thanks. National Boston Cream Pie Day is October twenty third. You can get a Boston cream pied donut. There are free donuts out there for the taking. Go to Dunkin Donuts and I guess it's still on this evening. If you buy a drink,
you get a free donut. Go to Krispy Kreme you can get a free donut, and you can get a dozen of the originals the original glaze for two dollars if you buy one dozen at the usual price. So she'll end up with two dozen donuts, which is far better than one dozen. So Happy National Donut Day to you. And a tip of the BBI cap to veterans everywhere, especially the remaining few served in World War Two, and a nod to everybody, including Yankees. Legendary catcher Yogi Bera,
who served and fought on at Normandy. He was a machine gunner and he was in a small watercraft that fired machine guns and rockets at the German encampments trying to protect the soldiers on the beaches. And there are all kinds of stories out there about athletes who served not just in World War Two but on d Day NBA playoffs last night. If he didn't see it, pull it up, even if you're not an NBA fan, bad news for former Wildcat Shay Gildess Alexander He and his
Oklahoma Thunder teammates blew it. They led for the entire game, right up until there were point three seconds left. That's when Tyrese Halliburton, with former Wildcat Cason Wallace in his face, pulled up and hit a twenty one foot jumper and rattled home, erasing a fifteen point Thunder lead and giving the Pacers a one to eleven one ten in in Oklahoma City. Yeah, that Thunder got got off a lob play out of bounce, but the Pacers knocked it away
with point three seconds left. And we were talking earlier this week about the fact that Mark Pope likes the rule where if you call time out in the closing seconds, you get the ball in mid court, And had the Thunder completed a play, it would have made his point that you had the opportunity with the situation like that for an incredible play at the end of the game. Point three seconds left and you gotta go to the
link of the court. You got virtually no shot. But because of course it was the final moments, okay, see calls time out, they get the ball in mid court. The only recourse they had was to lob the ball at the basket. Everybody knew that you can't get a shot off in point three, but Pacers knocked it away. Game over. But when we discussed this earlier in the week, I also shared a SoundBite from Sporting News is Mike de Corsi about how much he hates that rule and
I'm not crazy about it. I see Pope's point, he would like to see it in the college game. I kind of sided with Mike de Courci on it. And that's what I was thinking about last night watching the Thunder try to lob one in. But now OKAC and the championship rounds down one nothing after losing at home, and the Pacers just keep coming back. They're that kind of team. But they just ground and ground away. Jelgas Alexander had thirty eight points in forty minutes with five
rebounds and three assists. Casein Wallace scored only six points couple of rebounds. He did play thirty three minutes, but he plays primarily, at least in this series, for defense, and he was there. But Haliburton doing what Aliburton does. And now OKC is down one game to nothing. If you didn't watch, I get it. Not a lot of NBA fans around here, but here's what it sounded like. I love this stuff. First of all, here's the way Mike Breen called it on DESPN on ABC. Breen is
renowned as one of the all time greats. But to me, I just don't think a TV guy needs to call each and every move of every play like a radio guy does. That's what he does in this in insistence it works. It was one ten to one on nine when the Thunder had the ball. They came down and worked for a shot from Gildess Alexander and he got off a decent shot, but he missed it. So here comes Indiana.
Paci's a little chance to win it. Final seconds to fouls to do him. Haliverton looking, Caliverton driving.
Pulls Hauk jump shots that's gone.
Put three tons of a second ramatic time out. Okay, see Tyrens. Halliburton does it again.
There the first lead look the game. So that was how Mike Breen called it on ABC. Now here is what it sounded like on the Pacers Radio network with playboo play man Mike Boyle jil Justess.
Alexander has it nine to shoot. The defender is Nemar. Here comes the left hand bounce, penetrates the arc. Nemark cuts him off and he missed off the back of the rim. Rebound Indiana eight seconds to go. The Pacers are not gonna call a time out. Paddleburton has it with three driving with two pulling.
Up head heading with three tenths of a second to go?
How many more times can this team do that?
Soweet's baby?
And that was Pacers Radio. How about ESPN radio with a veteran Mark Kesterscher. He's got to play it down the middle, but pretty excited.
It is rebounded by Indiana eight seconds on the clock. They're down one. They have timeouts, but they're gonna play it. Here's Halliburton driving thing shut up God.
With three tenths of a second ago.
Halliburton does it again.
How does he do it? Ty Reese Halliburton with another shot to bring Indiana from way back. They've got the lead here in Game one.
To me, one of the more interesting things was that all three broadcasters took note of the fact that the Pacers were not calling time out. I think everybody would be thinking that one way or the other, but U and this goes against the grain for a lot of basketball and got to call time out. No, especially not in the NBA. But these guys are known for being able to create shots. So I hate the Pacers from my days. I don't hate him, but I hated him
when I was an ABA fan, a Colonels fan. I think it would be cool if an Aba team won another NBA championship. Certainly the Spurs did it, but I've been rooting for OKC because of Gilgris Alexander and now they're down a game. And by the way, one of the big story, well one of the sidebars that came out of last night's game, and I can I can laugh about this now because well, it didn't happen to me.
A station in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which is the second biggest market in the state of Indiana's second biggest TV market in the final seconds, they cut into the NBA coverage accidentally and dropped in a news tease.
A thunder clinging to this three point leads SGA the drive inside shut flock so you'll come drives it back.
Next on twenty one Alive News, the man who was brutally beaten at Pike's Pub last week has comeing forward here what he wants to have happened now. Also tonight, a big night for Pacer fans as Indiana is in the NBA Finals, will show you a local business who has seen a boost from the Yes Sirs, I mean because see a little fog overnight's night will have the very latest forecast coming up to get a thanks for staying up with us, I'm am ra Boss Fort Wayne's most watched news start.
That's Ga Garner Buy me Mars. That's from WPTA and Fort Wayne. I checked their website. I record the show earlier in the day, and I checked the website in the morning. There was no apology, There was no mention of the t's but there was not even a mention of the Pacers win. So somebody at that station needs to be severely admonished discipline. Whatever I mean, I worked in local TV news for thirty five years, and so much of it in the latter stages was about the
Internet and updating the station's website. And here's a station website right there in the heart of Indiana Pacers Country, if you will, no mention of the game. What a mistake on two fronts, but especially and that had to be an automated deal, like it was programmed. The computer was programmed to run the news ts at a certain point. I can't imagine that whoever was working at that station in the area where they make these moves is called
Matt Control. Nobody at Master Control is going to have that game up and be watching and think, huh, this would be a good time to drop in a news teas now, it had to be automated computer whatever. But and I don't know if it could have been avoided. It had to have been avoided. But what a mistake on more than one account. We'll come back with more of the Big Blue Insider a little bit later on Brian Mylem with WKYT on six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big bluon Sider coming up in just a
few minutes WKYTS. Brian Mileman. A little bit later on, we'll talk to Ellis Star the uber Kapper and we'll find out who he likes in tomorrow's Belmont Stakes. And while we're talking about local media people, I know two guys who I think are probably happy right now because the Pittsburgh Steelers Finally, you know this by now, I've signed Aaron Rodgers, Will Keith Farmer of l e X and BBN Tonight big Steelers fans. So is Jeff Drummond
of Cats Illustrated. Jay Drumm is I think a lot of people from his generation became a Steelers fan when the Steelers were excelling back in the seventies under Terry Bradshaw. When you're a kid and you decide what team you're going to follow and root for. With me, it was the Saint Louis Cardinals back in the late sixties and the Green Bay Packers in the early sixties. But came in and Jay Drumm both Steelers fans and their prospects at quarterback. Quite frankly, they weren't that great. I don't
know that they're that great now. With forty two year old Aaron Rodgers coming off his worst season in the NFL. But again, he was playing the last two years for the New York Jets and they stunk. I don't care who would have been playing quarterback. They would not have had good years. So the Steelers I think, have more going for him. So now Rogers at least has a chance if this is his last year, to go out with some dignity. But again, forty two years old, and
he has kept himself in pretty good shape. But I don't know that I would expect that much. A couple of different outlets are reporting on of course, right now, Football recruiting Kentucky with two commits for twenty six, and right now they're looking at a safety out of Rockford, Illinois named Messiah It's right, feel in your joke here, Messiah Tilson. He's six y two, one sixty five man. He's got to spend some time in the weight room, but he is a much coveted player, and he's got
Kentucky on his list. In fact, made an official visit this week, and less than a month ago, Kentucky was not in his top six. He's looked at Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota. Clearly a big ten kind of kid. Rutgers Kansas, but now Kentucky if he's interested in playing in the Southeastern Conference, and according to Let's see seven, Frank Boffano offered a scholarship. He's a d Backs coach back in December, so they're on this kid. He is a highly regarded, highly sought
after safety. Right now, Kentucky with just two commits in the class of twenty six, including a wide receiver from San Antonio, Texas, which I found interesting. Davis McCrae says he will play for the Wildcats and we'll come all the way here from San Antonio. Speaking of Texas, there is a great story unfolding in women's salt. I don't know if you're following, but of course Texas Tech signed Nijay Kennedy, who was probably the best pitcher in America
pitching for Stanford. Texas Tech's nil benefactors. I think it's just one person paid her a million dollars to come pitch for Texas Tech and she has pitched the Red Raiders into the championship game against Texas. It's the best of three series. They split the first two. Now that Tech won last night. They lost the first game because Texas got to walk off single when Kennedy was trying to walk a batter and ball four got a little too close and the Texas hitter knocked it into the
outfield for a game winning RBI single. Well, Kennedy last night struck out a hit her on three pitches with the time run of third base. So Texas Tech evens the series and now they'll play for the championship tonight. But the cool story is Jerry Glasgow was the head coach at Louisiana signed on to coach at Texas Tech. Louisiana's got a good program, and in fact, in twenty fourteen, when Kentucky was at Oklahoma City in the World Series and I got to go do the games on radio,
Louisiana was in the same old tell as Kentucky. But they hired Texas Tech hired away their coach, Jerry Glasgow. Now he had a really good pitcher at Louisiana. Some of his players followed him to Texas Tech, including well his best pitcher wanted to follow him. Oneman by the name of Sam Landry, but he told her, no, you are going to either stay put or go elsewhere, because he said, it looks like we're going to sign this kid from Stanford, and you won't be the everyday starter.
And the coach told the player, you know, I value our friendship. I think that would change the dynamics of our friendship if you're not pitching every day. So why don't you go to Oklahoma and play for the guy or woman I don't know who it is. Glasgow said was the best pitching coach in America. And she did.
She transferred did Sam Landry to Oklahoma, and sure enough they had a great year, Oklahoma's four time defending champ And they played Texas Tech in the semifinal round and Tech beat Oklahoma beat the pitcher that Glasgow had coached at Louisiana. I mean, he was beside himself in the dugout because she lost. He was beside himself because Tech had won. But I thought that was a heck of a story. And now the million dollar pitcher will face
Texas tonight for the championship. And she has thrown four hundred and ninety five pitches in the College World Series. She has pitched every pitch of every inning of every game in the World Series for Texas Tech. This hasn't happened since twenty twelve, when Alabama's Jackie Trena threw every pitch at the WCWS for the Crimson Tide, which won
the title thirteen years ago. Her coach Glasgow said she'd get to start Friday on one condition, quote if she's breathing, and if you want to check it out, it's on ESPN. You can see it through the app and through ESPN Plus and all that stuff. But just check it out on ESPN Texas Texas Tech for the Softball Championship and IL dollars at work. Up next, Brian Mylem of WKYT here on six point thirty w LAP welcome back to the Big Blue Insider and joining us down our celebrity
hotline as the sports director WKYT. Mister Brian Mylem, Happy Donut Day. First of all, to you, sir, national donut than favorite.
The answer is yes, just yes. You know, if that's one of my when I go and fill up gas takes, you know, the station vehicles, and if I go in and if I see one, it's kind of hard to say, colleague, you don't need it, but you need it one of those things, you know.
Yep, yep. So that's the seafood diet. Yeah, I get it more importantly though what I mentioned earlier. It is the universary of day June sixth, nineteen forty four, eighty one years ago. And you again, you're mister baseball, and I know that you're familiar with a lot of the stories about baseball players who dropped the ball, dropped the bad dropped the glove, and enlisted and served. I mentioned Yogi Bear. There are many, many others, but you know,
Yogi Bear was there. Normandy Beach is a machine gunner. But those stories always tug in my heart strings. Ted Williams was a fighter pilot in two Wars. I just think those stories are incredible.
Yeah, And it's not just it's incredible that anyone would enlist for any national emergency or any situation like that. But when a professional athlete, and when you look at the names of people who enlisted for World War Two, I mean, it's a Hall of fame list. It's not just you know your common base fall card number five fifteen from the nineteen fifty seven or nineteen forty four Bowman set or something, you know exactly you got You've got Yogi as a catcher. You've got Ted Williams as
your left fielder. You've got Bob Feller as a starting pitcher. You've got Joe DiMaggio in center field. I mean, you go on and on and on, and I think of moe Berg. Yes, and the most people were like, who's mo Burg? He may have been the guy that won
World War Two and he was a pedestrian catcher. He spoke seven languages, and on his trips to teach Japan the game of baseball, he also took pictures of the city and then the process gave that to the military and they had bombing targets because of what mo Burg gave them.
Yeah, there's a great book. And then a movie called The Catcher was a spy. I think Paul Rush Yeah, played mo Burg and it was important to Paul Road because Paul ruds Jewish show is moe Berg. And now that isn't one of your rights. I'm glad you brought that up. That's one of the greatest stories period, much less about a baseball player in World War Two.
So yeah, and that and that and those you know, just some of those names are the ones that whether they were enlisting in the Marines or in the Navy, or wherever. You would not see that today. Uh you know Pat Tilm. Pat Tillman is one of the exceptions to that rule, and unfortunately he was killed by friendly fire. But yeah, it was a different era when there was a pride about the country that hey, it's all hands on deck, no matter how little money you make, how
much money you make, your star power, your lack thereof. Yeah, it was an important day, uh D Day, but certainly just World War two. I mean, they don't call it the Greatest Generation for nothing.
That's exactly.
And and I think there's a lot of people that just in the course of time, things get forgotten. But I think that's one of the great things about history. It can't remind you. Hey, if it happened once, who knows, it could happen again on a different level. But everybody needs to rally to the cause.
All kinds of clips on social media Twitter, Facebook about it, so that helps. That keeps people informed. While we're talking with Brian Milem of w k Y, we have joked in the past about how phones ring off the hook at times, and I know you were working last night, you didn't see it, but it's out there on Twitter and other spots where the local affiliate in Fort Wayne, I played the clip earlier cut away the ABC affiliate cut away from the Pacers Thunder game in the closing
seconds for a newskes got back just in time. And I guarantee you this was a computer generated glitch, but I'm sure it could have been avoided. Yeah, but yeah, ocause I can't imagine anybody at Master Control ticket that's a good time for a news teez.
You know, well what I know things happened that way.
Well, I know at our place, our Master Control offs when I was there and when you're there, were such huge fans they would forget to do their job because they're watching a game that we might be televising or CBS might have. But you can certainly sympathize, I'm sure with whoever's answering the phones today.
Yeah, you're You're right. And you know, we live in a world, in a media world where a lot of people at the local level will tell you and even at the coltural level will tell you sports all it's not that important you get rid of a sporting event.
And I promise you.
Will feel the wrath of a fan base, a city, a county, a state, a region, whatever it may be. Don't tell me sports is not important, because it is. You can see that from the little league level, high school, college, pro whatever. You just you just don't do it. And you do hope it was a computer error because if there was somebody in a newsroom somewhere and said, hey, I think this would be a great time, said no, person, ever, let's do that, you know, And yeah, thankfully they bailed
out in time to see the shot. But had they not, it would have been like the height would be like the Heidi Game all over again.
Absolutely, and kids look it up, the Heidi Game. It's a great story. But we don't have the.
Total little bird about that about that, that's right.
Uh. And in all fairness, I will admit that back in the late eighties w k YT we were showing the US Open from CBS and it was one of those great Martina nevertil over think. It was Martina versus Stephie matches and it went into the last set and our late great deer dearly depart and loved the man. Ralph Gabbard did not like tennis golf, would never have
ordered us to dump out of a golf match. But he ordered us to dump out of tennis so we could get the six o'clock news on Oh my god, the phone calls and there was one person mid level management in the building at the time. She fielded to call and had to tell the people in master mister Gabbert wants you to dump out, and so she fielded all the I felt so bad for her, but everybody makes mistakes. That was our Heidi game. We're talking Brian
Mylm with WKYT. We'll come back and talk more with Brian in just a minute here on six point thirty WLAP. Welcome back Brian Mylem as my guest. He is the sports director of WKWYT, also a crowd Morehead State Eagle and a guy who played shortstop. D you want college baseball? That said, this is prime portal period out of alliteration for anxious angers. And I'm wondering your thoughts on where college baseball is now, given the fact that the house
settlement's coming up. Eleven point seven scholies going away. You and I have talked about that. You guys didn't even have eleven point seven.
I don't think and more well, yeah, well we did, and it just so happens. I'm standing next to our catcher back then, Brad Allison. We were both a part of that eleven point seven scholarship limit. And when that goes away, and what are the number like thirty four scholarships baseball is going to get. And that also means, you know, the school is going to have to pulley up a little bit here because that's money they would not be getting in the past. Right, And I think
about the Morehead states of the world. EKU, some schools that are a lower level tier of Yeah, there'd be one, but they're not Texas, they're not Florida, cal You know teams in California that can afford in many ways to swallow some of that money. Morehead State cannot, Murray State cannot. And now you're going to be giving excuse me, free scholars the money to a lot more kids for football, basketball, and no more Head is a non scholarship football program.
But you're really going it's really gonna hurt the school. It'll help the kids, But then you wonder what the trickle down effect is going to be, And you know, the portal is just I like the fact that we all have opportunities to change and go somewhere that Okay, I don't fit it. Bears all go there, but not every year, not every year. I mean, you know, golly, you don't change coaches every year because you lost one game. You don't fire this person, fire that person. You don't
change your wife every year, your husband every year. You don't do that. You've got to fight through a little something. And I like, what, oh though, the big kid from Kansas the Center, he said, you know, hey, it's going to be like a two year deal. You sign, you're here for two years at least, and you get one transfer. But there's no sense and being a guy that transfers to five schools in six years or four schools in five years. And talk to you.
You and I have passed about the fact that you played for your dad in high school and he was tough on you help make you a good player. You ended up playing D one baseball and that helped you at the college level when you look back on it. Though I'm not entirely forgive me familiar with your entire career of Morehead State. I know you had some success individually, but had the portal been there, would you at some point?
I'm sure you would have thought about it, but how tempting would it have been for you, as a D one baseball player to step in and maybe improve your lot in life.
The first six months, the first six months of a freshman's career at any sport, at any school, is the most challenging because you're away from home, more than likely, you're around tougher competition for the first time, more than like you. It is gut check time. And I remember two and a half, three months into my freshman year at Moorhead, I told being a young, dumb eighteen year old kid, I said, yeah, I just don't know. I'm
thinking about leaving. And a guy named Donnie Hackworth, who was from Paintsville, pulled me to the side and he said, do you understand the opportunity you have right now? He said, you're going to start and you're going to play all the time, but you've got to suck it up and be mentally tough here. And that was a come to Jesus meeting. And another guy named Mike Perguson gave me one of those one day also. He said, you don't see what everybody else sees. And I didn't. I was
away from home. I was scared a little bit. I didn't know what to do, but I stuck it out, and yeah, I was blessed to have a nice career. But I think kids get so enamored by the massage of social media, by the massage of oh, you can be over here, you will do this for us, and we're going to give you more money. And well, yeah, you're gonna get more money, but Uncle Sam's going to take forty percent of.
That pretty far fast.
And I don't know if those kids understand that. Some do, some do. I think I think people with a good financial understanding of how things work, like Jasper Johnson, Dennis Johnson, that Johnson family and Alvis taught them, well, hey, this is what's gonna happen here with this money. You're ya, you're gonna get a million bucks to come to school. Well it's not really a million, because let's strike down all the taxes that are involved in YadA, YadA, YadA.
But kids, uh, I guess it's I guess now that I'm fifty one years old, I'm officially in that age bracket of well, when I was younger, Bill in the blank, true, I gotta.
Think Dennis Johnson might have been able to show his son one of his old NFL pay stubs. You know, here's what but here's what I took home, Uh, exactly sobering. We're talking to Brian Milem of w KYT sports director in his covered sports in the state of Kentucky between a state at KYT and WYMT and Hazard for a long time. Well, speaking of the portal, the basketball team you cover Mark Pope's ball club. He's put together a nice roster. Mark Stoops roster is a bit of a
mystery right now. We'll find out it's it's going to be on top of us soon enough. As you know, I'm sure you'll be keeping an eye on the offensive line as everybody else will. But it does, I mean, for both both teams. It really changes the way you cover these programs, doesn't it. With the way these kids now are coming and going.
Yeah, I mean, you know, it's like when we were kids, you look at the back of a baseball card and for the majority of the players you saw one or two team.
Yeah yeah.
And now if you had a basketball card for some of these kids, if they stayed five years, wow, different schools, different school, different school, different school and the portal is the game changer of all game change maybe in the history of collegiate sports. I don't know, nil slash portal. And uh, you know, I try as I get older to not get overly excited and anticipate things that could happen.
But what Mark Pope has done with this ball club, it's kind of hard not to look ahead and say, if they stay healthy and they get the right breaks, folks, you could be looking at that third that third fourth week in March and that early first week in April. I mean, it's not it's not out of the realm of possibility. Golly, it's a stacked lineup and now he's got to find a way to massage the egos or one basketball one a deep bench, whatever. But you know,
like but for the portal. You know, James McCoy is baseball player. He wants to play every day, and that's one of the main reasons he's leaving or testing the portals. The guys want to play every day, and that's fine, and I get it. I would want the same thing if I were still uh you know, know, athletically and climb. But and but, GOLLI you know, the portal is that they've got to come up with something to stop the
swell of influx. I remember when Tubby Smith was still at Memphis before he left there to go back to High Point or wherever, there was like eight hundred transfers the first time the transfer window opened. And now there's in the thousands that the five figures of all sports, and it's just out of control. And if the NCAA ever wants to save itself, maybe they've got to find
a way right now to stop it. But I think, you know, to quote Rich Brooks, you know, the horses out of the barn and some other things are out of the horse, and you can't put it back either.
So well, I think that everybody knows the needs guardrails, and said is the member institutions, And then I guarantee you one hundred plus percent would love more guardrails. But I think in his day and age, Brian and I've got about a minute left, they're afraid of being sued again, or you know, the players banding together and working in on some crafty lawyers getting together. But I honestly think in the long run it could ruin sports.
I think, so you know, I don't know if guardrails are even viable at this point. I mean, you're on the autobond without guardrails and there's no speed limits, and it's gonna be tough to put the genie back in the bottle here. But rules are rules, but somehow everybody seems to expedite the rules and figure out a way around things.
That's right. Well, I appreciate your time. As always, we could go on all night about this stuff. But as I like to say, you know, you're one of the few guys on the beat who knows what it's like to face a Division one fastball. Who what was the best D one fastball you ever saw?
Ninety eight at Western Carolina. I saw these scouts around the fence. I'm thinking that's eighty eight. Well that was just as warm up. This pitch was a strike and I looked at the umpire and he was what I said, I didn't see it. It doesn't sounded good.
Who was it, do you remember?
I don't know. He was about six three and skinny, and he had a small vapor trail coming off the backside of the ball.
Oh my gosh, yeah, I actually I faced a kid in uh I guess I was sixteen or seventeen who ended up in the Pirates or Cardinals chain and struck me out on three pitches. I never saw, so I know the at the on level, but he eventually was at triple A, so I know the feeling. Brian Mylin wky T. Thank you so much, sir, Thank you buddy, every good one. By the way, Brian covering a softball game right now, so that's why it's so noisy. Up next, the uber Kapper Elis Starr is going to break down
the upcoming Belmont Steakes. Tomorrow's Belmont Steaks here on six thirty.
W laput such stake.
Taking the s anything anything back out.
Such Welcome back to the Big Blue and Sider joining us now we love talking horse racing with the uber Kapper Ellis Starr. You see his work on Twitter. You need to follow him. He's also got a podcast. Ellis tell everybody how to find your podcast.
It's at amwager dot com, which is one of the legal betting sites, but you don't have to have an account. Just go to mwagard dot com A m W A g E R or if you follow me on Twitter at Blue Sky, I posted bout it. It's the Key Races and bets I call it, and it's a blog. And then I just recorded as a podcast as well weekly about ten twelve minutes, covering anywhere from two to five big races around the country on Saturday.
Well, and I've said as many times, and I'm not doing this just to patronize my guest, but I have won money with Elis on his picks of the day. I can tell you folks that just pick your spots like anything, but it's.
Always Did we talk last before last's emote?
Probably, I don't know.
Because that was that was when I was just lucky, just talking somebody the other days, so I had to remind myself because I had a profile of it. I picked Doorknock at the Belmont and perid a big price because I thought he had had no shot in the Derby because he had lost speed and had an inside
posts and so he got a different post. And you know, people think with longer race, even a mile on a quarter, which is last year and this year as a Saratoga, that the longer races mean that you know, horses come from behind, but no, you really need some tactical speed and door Knock had the speed last year. So if I made your money last year, I'm happy. If not, maybe we can make you and a listener some money.
Of course. One of door Knock's owners of Jason Wirth, a retired baseball player who stands out in a crowd. He's a big guy, got all that hair, generally wearing a hat. I don't know about you, but I kind of think that's good for the sport, you know, because you're always we're always looking to capture new fans, and I think he at least draws attention, doesn't he.
Oh yeah, no, we have a lot of that, and it didn't good. There's I can't remember the kid's name now, but this influencer with millions of followers Instagram that it's called the stake at Stardom was his idea of America's best racing in West Point and they gave him a piece of Sandman and you know, it's it's fantastic. I mean, I certainly one hundred agree with getting big names in it, you know, to lay Toby Keith had a big stake in operation. His wife still continuing it. But when he
was in he talked about it a lot. When people were interviewing him on out of the stuff, he mentioned horse racing and Jason Worth being involved and a few other people are getting into it now, so it's good. We need to broaden our horizons with the different owners and of course lots of different demographics.
I don't know if he's still all that active, but I know Rick Patino. One of the reasons he wanted to come back to the state of Kentucky into U of L was well, first of all, I couldn't take the UK job. It wasn't open, so he took U of L. He wanted to be back near horse racing as well. He mentioned that how much he loved being around the barns in the morning, and he had a Derby horse one year. I remember that. Although I do
remember ls, you'll appreciate that that. Somebody asked C. M. Newton when he got here, Hey, are you going to get involved in racing like you know some of the other people Rick Patino, and he said, my father once told me never invest in anything that eats while you sleep. So he stayed away. He stayed way from horse racing. Well, let's get let's get to the business at hand, right now, we'll talk about bigger picture in a minute. But the Belmont steaks, as we said at Sarah Toga this year,
a field of eight at the shorter track. So it's a mile and a quarter. And you told me off the air you prefer that that distance in lieu of a mile and a half. Is that right?
I guess I should say I don't mind it. You know, people talk about, you know, the way it's always been, and you'll go back to a mile and a half. Belmont is rebuilding their racetrack and a new facility, a great footprint with a lot of upscale amenities, and it'll be ready for twenty twenty seven because they'll host the Breeders Cup. Keino host Breeders Cup in twenty twenty six. And I don't mind a mile and a quarter because it's really the same as the Derby the mile and
a half. It does make it special, though, when a horse does win the trip Crown, they really accomplished something, not only three races in five weeks, but no horses ever run a mile and a half to that point, and certainly the horses that have won the triple Crown have been worried of it by virtue of doing both those accomplishments, the five weeks, three races and all, so running a mile and a half. But it's harder for horses to run. They're not bread for it as much
and they need a certain amount of stamina. But the mile quarter is just fine with me.
I'm guessing you weren't surprised covering the sport as long as you have knowing these trainers that Bill Mott chose not to run the Derby winner in the Precknet. He's not a big fan of running three year olds and a mile and a quarter on the first Saturday in May. Disappointed to a lot of people. But how did you take that news?
Well, I was disappointed, but not surprised. I mean, certainly, first of all, you're going to do what's right by the war. Second of all, he doesn't lose any value not running in the practice, and that's really unfortunately pragmatically, that's the way it is, because you know, the horse goes from being worth maybe a few million being worth thirty forty fifty million. Yes, what you could accomplish in
the prectice. If you lose, you don't lose value, but you certainly don't gain die and if you win, okay, you're not really gaining that much value, So what do you do? Plus it's good Dolfsen. One of the world class operations is farms here in Kentucky, a couple in Australia and Europe and all over the world. So you know, they don't really care. He's going to stand, you know, at their farm when he's done, so he's really not going to be syndicated. They might get some partners, but
probably not. And therefore, you know there's nothing to do. You want to do what's right, and you want to win the Belmont. You also want to you know, you really have a good three year old. You're going to want to save him for later in the year to run on the Travelers and hopefully the Breeders Cup and then retire and then go to stud So I certainly
understand it disappointed like everybody else. But on the other hand, we had held frequescy only I mean with journalism getting trapped at the quarter pole and showing.
What makes a thoroughbred a thoroughbrid, like.
Just saying I'm not going to lose this race. He made up five lengths in an eighth of a mile. I mean, that's pretty impressive.
It is. It is a heroic move. Some people thought there was some chicanery there that maybe he should have been there should have been a foul claim against him, but no, I just think that that was racing, robins racing and horse racing too.
It's race riding. Yeah, what I commented to somebody who was sometimes in racist jockeys will ride two races at once because not only the trying to win, but they're also trying to ensure that their toughest competition doesn't get any advantage. And that's what Pratt was doing. He didn't know that his horse was running out of gas at
that time. He ate the horse on the rail was kind of running out of gas, but Pratts rush wasn't necessarily running out of gas at that point, and he was trying to keep journalism kind of trapped in while he was accelerating, and that you're allowed to do that. Unfortunately, he also hit him, which is another issue, but since he's finished behind them, there's really no foul there.
We're talking to Hello Star, he is the uber Capper and we're talking about, of course, the upcoming Beaumont Stakes tomorrow at Saratoga an ADOR's field, and yes no triple crown on the line, but a fascinating field because the top three finishers in the Derby are reunited, plus Derby winner versus Preakness winner and some new sh shooters. As always Kenny McPeak, we talked with him last week over
at his barn. He really loves sovereignty. Once again, that's the second choice right now, journalism is top choice at eight to five. Is it going to be one of these two ls? You think.
He would be one of those two or Baas and Baza. I think that's the horse that I picked on top, not only because he had to value at four to one on the starting odds, but also because there's an experience issue here. So this is a horse and I know we talked for the Derby. First of all, talk about pedigree. So he's by the damn Puka who produced made the Derby winner two years ago, produced door Knock, who might have won the Derby if he hadn't had a horrible post, and did win the Belmont last year.
And then the same damn is now produced bays And who just got a late start. And this is where experience comes in and you think of thoroughbred's as athletes. You know, Baeza when he first ran in December, Sovereignty had already run three times, Journalism had already run twice, and Journalism, you know, two weeks later won a stake trace and Soigny and Sovereignty had already won a stake trace.
He wanted the three cents of Turchill down. So Beza had a big experience, you know, lapse momentally and physically, and Jerrem Beza did. And in his second start he ran second to Rodriguez, who's back in this race. And Regaz, of course is a horse that he needs to lead to winning and a foot problem, crashed out of the derby, but he's only a horse that wins on the league, and he controlled the tempo and then when Beza, you know, got a little better trip that next time out, he
exploded and he won by almost five lengths. And then he put him in the Sandy Derby and he gave the experience problem. He's not a problem, but he experienced the issue where Beesa makes the lead. He doesn't really know what to do at that point. With Nathan Miles Ago and Journalism, by virtue of having run two more times. Journalism had run, baaz had run three times, Generals had run five right, and Journalism just poured it on and beat him. And then he comes back on the Derby
and then you get the same problem Bason's fifteen. After let's say three quarters of a mile, He's Journalism is tenth at that point. Sovereignty is further back at sixteenth. But they both extricate from traffic and Bazakats kind of stuck their studied about the five sixteenths of a mile and then he loses second by a neck with a really good rally. Today in the Belmont, now he doesn't have to pass He was nineteenth at the beginning of the Jervy, so now he doesn't have to pass eighteen horses.
He only the past seven. And I think he's caught up an experience, so I think he could win the race.
You know that mattered. I mean people who may not know or follow as much horse racing, but they're not just out there running, you know, for the heck of it. You know, they take at least the good horses do. And I remember, I'll never forget Silver Charm was one of my favorite derby winners. What was it ninety seven and he beat a horse named Captain Bodgett. It was really good. Those horses didn't like each other. They knew that from when they were around each other in the arms,
and so silver Charm. He you know, he raced more than once against Captain Bodgett, and when that horse came up on him, he kick it into a different gear. So you know, yeah, they're not all like that, are they, But a lot of them are. And as you point out, if an experienced horse is on the front end, he doesn't know what's supposed to happen next, and so experience matters. We're talking to Elis Star, the uber Capper. We'll come back and talk more about the Bellmont in just a
minute here on six thirty wlap. Welcome back. We're talking to Elis Starr. He is the uber capper. That's his handle on Twitter or x if you will. And of course we're talking about tomorrow's Belmont Stakes. A field of eight at Saratoga Track not big enough to handle a mile and a half race, so it's a mile and a quarter. And if the field of eight includes some, as Ellis said, some really interesting horses, speed horses do you like either or any I think there are what
four long shots. I heard one of the talking kids talking about Crudo. I think that's a pletcher horse. What do you like about him him? If anything?
Well, Crudo, So this is interesting. Crudeo is owned by Bobby Flay and for the any of that watches any of the food Yes, you know, Crudo is a food term, and Bobby said, incrude horses and career. Cruis a really nice horse. He won the Sir Barton Steaks on the Freakness undercard. What's interesting is in terms of how fast he ran when you look at the call Echo base speed figure which normalizes time based on track journalism, got a one nine and Crudo got one hundred one hundred
on the same day. But Crude doesn't need the lead type at least since two wins, has only went around two turns. And that's the problem is Rodriguez is inside of him. Crudo is a really nice horse. He's gonna have a great career. He's by a triple Crown winner, Justify, and he's in good hands. But unfortunately Roriguez is going to go for the lead and Crude at this time with both with a when the horses both of the winds or all their winds are only shown and leadings
from start to finish. He just, you know the old cliche leopard doesn't change his spots, right, So I don't think he can change his style. Maybe Putterer's been training that way. We'll find out. But based on what you see on paper, Crudo on Rigaz, both Rodriguez both seem to want the lead hill roads. Interesting as a horse that came on for third at sixty to one in the Breeders Cup last November, then he was off till March.
He ran third, and then he won the peter Pan Stakes, which two horses have come back to win the Belmont Tonalists and Archangelo two years ago won the Belmonts and the peter Pan. But those are both a mile and a half, so that's a prep that works. He doesn't see he's trained by Chad Brown. He's nothing been a great pedigree. Another horse that I might consider having a shot. I'd like him better than Rodriguez or Crudo. They could hold on. But you've got three three closures in the
race and journalism, sovereignty and Baeza. So I think the speed horses are going to get pretty tired. Hill Road could probably be in the money. Is one of the long shots.
Yeah, I'm big on the closers. Although horses have stolen races. I mean, last year Baffer Tours stole the Freakness, so in the most famous man be winning Colors, winning the Kentucky Derby the Philly by stealing the race. A few minutes left with Ellis Starr, we're talking, of course about the Belmont Stakes coming up. I think you and I may have talked about this briefly last year, but once again Bill Mott's decision kind of reignited the human cry
about changing the calendar for the Triple Crown. I have kind of done a one eighty on it, Ellis. Now, with the way that trainers have changed the way they're bringing up horses because of the huge purses, they don't have to run every two to three weeks to make their money. You know, they can hold off and just run periodically and go after those and so that means
the breed has changed. And again to your point, to do what's best for the horse, I think I kind of think they I hate what I would kind of regret seeing them do it, but I understand if they change the calendar, because that's what's best for the horses, you know what I mean?
Well, to your point, you know what's the goal? So is the goal to make it better for the horses? They have longer careers and three year olds and are really not if they're that good, they're going to retire because they've got all the value for a staid career. Is the goal to get more fan engagement and get more betting. That's the possible reason to do it, only because if you had spread it out so that the
last ones in the fall. But I read a bunch of stories about how it goes up against college sports, how it goes up against the major leagues baseball, you know, things like that.
What do you do?
Then by having it, you know, in by having the third part of the Tipple Crown in June, you really aren't competing the same thing. As soon as you start moving this September, then you've got a problem. So do you get more do you get more betting? Are the horses doing it? And then you've got the issues where you've got this the Midcember deruby they call the travers right at Saratoga, that's already there at the million in the quarter and that's a really important race and it's
two much before the Breeders' Cup. So what you know, what's the reason you're doing if you're doing it for the breede Nah, I don't know that the doing, you know, make it you're not going to get more horses. I think by spreading it out. If you're doing it for handle, maybe even then you run into this issue of competition,
and so that's a big deal. On the other end of the way it's been certainly when a horse does accomplish the goal of even winning two out of the three, but certainly all three, they mean something because you've done You've run just you've never run before, You've done it in five weeks, and you've got to be, you know, in the best fitness of your career to do it.
Yeah. No, I agree with that much. But I just I get so tired of hearing about how all this sport's on its last legs and all that. I'm thinking about the eyeballs it brings. And you're right, you can't, you can't back it up too much. But I like the first weekend in May, first weekend in June, first weekend in July, which is just a no man's land
other than Big League Baseball in terms of sports. I think that would work, but you know it's, uh, you got to get the tracks to all agree, and I don't know if that's ever going to happen, right, Yeah.
Well I think I could agree that the other isshue distance again, you know, you want the fall on it. A mile and a quarters. They didn't get more horses than a mile and a half. And you know, there's been a lot of recent on social media looking back at some of the best Belmonts and the Dullmants had a lot of short fields regardless of whether there's been a Triple Crown contender in the race, because no one wants to run against him, you know what I mean, because of verses one, two in a row? How am
I going to be? Then there's I'm gonna I'm going to play the spoiler. But you don't get big field in the Belmont. So maybe it's distance as apposed to timing. There's no way to know. You can try things, but because of you know, major television, it's very difficult to plan ahead that four or five year contracts, uh, you know, with the major networks.
I just love when there's a triple crown. Don't know, everybody does. When there's a triple crown possibility. Everybody loves that. And to me, more of that, please, is what I'm saying. Uh, you know, growing up when I did, when you did, you know, people loved teams had long winning streaks, people loved boxers who were undefeated, people loved triple crown winners. It was like the country came together. I remember when American Pharaoh won the triple crown. I was at a
at a wedding reception, and uh, I went downstairs. It was at a facility in Louisville. I went downstairs to the to the public area of the bar to watch the race because upstairs the reception didn't have a TV. I watched American Pharaoh win the triple crown, and I went upstairs and there was a pause in the music, and I yelled American Pharaoh won a triple crown, and
the whole place went nuts. So I just like stuff like that, you know what I mean, Not that I have to announce it, but just that everybody loves that.
You know, it was bound. I mean, the study have been done at Belmont Park when there's triple ground the line you know it's two to three times to handle in the bedding.
Then when it's not, Yeah, no, I love that. I love that.
I do you achieved that?
It's a big question.
That's right, so to recap you like Biaza because of the past.
By yeah, the price, and also because I'd experienced. I mean, certainly it's going to be a good win bet. I can't see much past sovereignty and journalism, so I play exactly. I wouldn't box. I wouldn't say exactly box of sovereignty journalism the two favorites, but i'd box Bys and Salvaggy box base and journalism. I wouldn't argue with someone that thought Rodriguez recruito could hang on where the hill road
might be able to get up for a second. But for me, most of the race for me is via the wind bet because I think he is the right horse at the right time.
It's all about the value and Baza offers that. Plus he's got some pretty good speed figures behind his name. Once again, our thanks to Elis Star. We always check Ellis pick of the day. You can follow him on Twitter at uber Kapper tell everybody again how to find your podcast.
It's an Amazon dot com. I do pcap, but you can check the Race the Week every week at equobased dot com. It's a national Race of the Week and usually post my links to other all my other blogs on Twitter and on Blue Sky.
Thank you so much, as always, have a great Belmont Day.
Thanks Vick Co. Look everybody, and when.
We come back, we'll take a look back at the week that was. I had Heroes, Fools and Flakes on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big Blue Inside, and we're going to take a look back at some of the things we discussed this past week in case you missed. But before we do that, I did want to bring up a couple of things. Brian Milin mentioned a Heidi game and I said, look it up. I feel like I really need to share this with you kids out there. And you know what, I'm pretty sure
I was watching this game back in nineteen sixty eight. Yes, I was just a kid. I was with thirteen years old, and back then, of course there were only three networks plus PBS, but on NFL Sundays that's what you watched, and there was a huge game matching the Oakland Raiders, I mean the old school, traditional bad boy Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets of Joe Namath. And this was on November the seventeens regular season game, but it
was a big game. NBC back then had the old AFL, right, I don't think they know they weren't the AFC yet they were still the AFL. NBC switched away from that game period for good. It wasn't just a drop in fluke like that station in Fort Wayne. No, NBC decided this game is over, sixty five seconds left and it was tight. I mean it was like thirty two to twenty nine. I think. Well, the Raiders scored two touchdowns in a nine to second span to win at forty
three to thirty two. And that is what the rage after that, not just from Raider fans and Jet fans, but NFL fans in general, is what prompted the networks to start shifting time. I mean, Oakland scores three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to come from mine and win that game. The Jets and Raiders met again later in December, late twenty ninth of December in New York in the AFL Championship game. The Jets won that game twenty seven to twenty three. Two weeks later they beat the Colts
in Super Bowl three. Yes it was that New York Jets team. Once again, it is National Donut Day, and earlier this week here in the garage, Camer Mills joined us. We talked about wasted time, the whole segment on how Cameron wants to start his own line of cold brew coffee, and somehow we got to talking about donuts, and I brought up an important chapter in Camera Mills history when he tried to single handedly bring Krispy Kreme Donuts to
lexingon coming out of UK pre and il. Of course, you guys were part of the Barnstorming Tour, which is a great tell.
There was one every year, right, yeah.
Great tradition, and so you had a little a change in your pocket.
Well, we had just won a national championship, which is always funny if you look back at the autograph set, the guys who graduate and autograph stess as they get to do which again it's completely different now. They get to do them while they were players. But if you come out, if your last season at UK is a final four, those autographs tours and barnstorm tours, which they really don't do much anymore.
They're going to be successful.
You come out of UK and your last year is a national champion and you've actually got two of those suckers and.
One runner up. Yeah, they go incredibly well.
And we had three thousand people two days after the National Championship Game ninety eight. We have three thousand Jeff Shepherd, Allen Edwards and I with three seniors, and eventually Nause joined us because he was gonna go pro. We had three thousand people at Fayette Mall get in line winning our autograph.
You remember.
For autograph, Well, we didn't charge for autograph. Fayette Mall in that case paid us per hour to be there, and it was still an obscene amount good and I and that's the thing I don't, I don't. I don't feel comfortable saying it. I'll tell you off the area and I've told I've told other people before. It's not
like it's a secret. But I'll just say it's like three thousand dollars an hour, all right for the three of us to sit there and sign our name, okay, And what made it amazing that day and granted it was the very first one we had, and it's tailed off in the last twenty five years. Folks, Okay, I I'm not charging that much anymore. And uh, but the line they paid us for three hours, that was the deal.
There were still at least seven hundred people in line of three hours, and so the manager of f MAAL came to us in our ears we're signing and saying, hey, we don't want to disappoint anybody, would you guys stay an extra.
Hour for half of what we're paid you per hour?
And we're like, well, heck, yeah, nice. I mean that everything else you made. Yeah, you had some some coins seed money, and you had a great idea because at the time election didn't did not have a certain franchise, so which you know, when you brought it up, I thought, yeah, I wonder why so you investigated what?
So I grew up appreciating, as sane rational people do, Yes, the gloriousness of the hot Krispy Kreme Exactly when the hot light is not on, you don't go. When the hot light is on, you get two dozen and you down them.
Immediately, all right, hot don't know that works out?
So I decided because they the only one I'd ever been to is in Tallahassee, Florida, where my mom's from. Gotcha, And that was like a tradition we'd got done for Christmas. And on Saturday while we were there, Dad would go to Krispy Kremen he come back with the cruelers. By the way, Krispy Kreme your greatest mistake ever getting rid of the ruler?
Did they really?
They did?
They still you still find them, but they don't make them in their stores. Really, And let me tell you the greatest culinary experience of my life was happening to be in a Krispy Kreme because hotlight was on. Because that's the rule. You don't pass the Krispy krem hotline is on, right, you don't pass it. That is literally in the Bible that's a sin. So so I'm I'm I'm in there, and they're not it's the hot lights on, but they're not making their glaze.
They're making their crulers.
Oh my god.
And I'm like, and I I already love coolers, and I'm thinking hot cruelers? Is is that possible? I mean, okay, So I got a dozen gracing I've ever put in my mouth.
All I can think is the scene from The Simpsons or Homer Hell strapped into a chair and they're shoving donuts into his mouth with a machine and he just keeps going more, more more, and the devil says, James Coco went mad in an hour.
I don't even know James Cocoa. It is an actor anyway. So yeah, I said, why don't we have a Krispy Kreme? And like, right, and you were.
Going to put the seed money? Well I was, I didn't know Krispy Kremes.
Yeah, I don't think that's what they would let me call it, but I was. I at least called, Yeah, got in touch Winston Sale in California, which sale in North Carolina, got on the phone with the vice president of franchise. I mean, come on, who is he? Especially now, especially now in my well, that's exactly how it turned out. And I just said to I introduce myself. I said, I've run into some money.
That's wait a minute, when you introduced yourself, did you say national championship?
Now, I might have said I'm a former Kentucky basketball player to maybe kind of grease the.
Wheels a little bit.
Yeah, Yeah, but I just said, I've run into some money and i'd like to I'd like to inquire about the possibility of a franchise, Chrispy Kreme franchise full store right in Lexing, Kentucky. The rest of the conversation lasted five seconds, and I'm not kidding. That's no exaggeration. He literally said, there's no market for one there click and hung up on me. Now again, all right, dream shattered,
you overcome right. Two years later, one freaking opened up over there on Frischman Road, and we're there every Saturday.
Where are you?
Alex loves them. Alex loves them.
We were there the other day and and they were making hot ones.
But they weren't.
They weren't the glaze, they were the They were the ones you stuff that you put cream in. He was devastating, and I told him, I said, buddy, they're still hot.
My faves are the the jelly stuff. Oh those about the least favorite raspberry or lemon? Oh my god, my.
Least favorite, to be honest, is when Krispy Kreme feels like they have to do these special limited release donuts come till we don't know, we don't need a Grinch donut.
We don't you talk about the hot donuts now? Yeah, as we drift further and further our topics, but one of our favorite stories we tell people about the UK network is from football and we this was a year, There were a couple of years. Here's some inside baseball for you, a couple of years when the contract was up and our company, the rights holder, was going to prepare a bid to try to win it back. So now they're trying to squeeze every dollar they can and
what might be the last year with the contract. And again this happened a couple of times. So instead of us flying with the team, we were asked to drive everywhere, including hard you all to fly with the team? Yeah, we we have to buy seats because the university has to buy the seats.
Anyway, they're buying the seats or they buy the plane. There are there are seats that go unused on these flights. I've been on many of them.
Not on football.
Oh I don't know about football anyhow.
So we're we're all piles stuffed into this suv and our late great statistician, Errol Thomas Brownie was driving, and our producer, our great the great producer. Mike Dodson's in the front seat.
Who just got a promotion, by the way, with state government. Did you see that, Mike Dodson. No, no, no, I'm sorry, not Mike. Jim Barnhart Sorry.
Okay, anyhow, the other day, Jim's a our basket a ball producer. Now anyway, So we pull out of the stadium at Florida. It's it's early evening, after covering yet another butt kicking, you know, now they go down there with a chance to win. But back then, no, so we had just been you know, we're numb to just another and it's a long drive home brother from Gainesville. Well, Harold inadvertently takes a wrong turn and goes left instead
of right, and we passed a Krispy Kream. Okay, we don't really think about it, but we we passed Krispy Kreme and then immediately realize we're going in the wrong direction. So Harold does a yui or turn, pulls in, turns around, and in the interim the time it took the turnaround hot like hot donuts. Now, Mike Dodson lost his money, so you gotta stop, Harrold. Come, well, Harold's thing was he never stopped what he drove every mile of every trip.
He loved driving. Okay, he drove an RV to Little Rock, Arkansas one year, the entire way and getting Harold to stop unless, you know, unless you really had to go, you know. Well, so as soon as the rest of us realized what was going on, Yeah, there were three of us in a vaccinate pounding on the seat like Harold, stop, you gotta stop, man, Harold, and Mikey's in the front seat. Harold, come on. He finally relented and pulled him and man, we got sick. Krispy krem Nuts.
I told you story before we were in We had just beaten South Carolina and Columbia and this was one of the Patino years. And we're driving back to the airport. This is a nine o'clock ESPN game. So it is now one am, and we are just now leaving Columbia heading home.
And we're driving past and.
We're on our way to the airport, and we're going down this main thoroughfare in Colombia on our way to the airport, and we passed at Krispy Kreme and the hot light is on and this is one am. Hotlight is on because they got to mixed stuff. We had won, which is key to the story, of course, because if we hadn't won, no one would have said a word.
But we won.
So Anthony Epps screamed from the back row of the bus, Coach, can we stop it?
Just like we were all on it.
We were all ten years old on a vacation with our parents, and Coach said, yeah, let's stop. Wow, we pulled this bus of ravenous college guys and a butt load of other people pull into this Krispy Kreme. They send the managers of course, because of course they did in and every player got twenty four ton And look, this is a coach that is a I mean, all he cares about is how much you weigh?
What do you wait?
Yeah?
And Anthony and I and and which is It was silly for Anthony because Anthony's I mean, he's always he was always in shape. But remember, coach was like, okay, but you got to be quicker, so you got to lose weight. So there's always this balance for most of the guys of Okay, I need you to have strength, but you have to be light enough to be quick
enough to beat your man. To get to the corner to cut off the angle, except for me who lived the opposite life of a Walter McCarty who had a ten thousand calorie a day diet and mine was about fifty calories a day. And so but anyway, so for coach to say, hey, yeah, go get them donuts and then they come back, I mean they got to make four trips in and out of the store to get all these donuts, and they hand every player two boxes and not a single donut was left.
Tell me about that airport, they were all gone.
You're on your way to pre diabet. Oh that was from the Big Moving Sider earlier this week, and I'd love to know where that Krispy Kreme executive is today, probably retired with a golden parachute. Well, come back with Heroes, fools and Flakes in just a minute on the Big One Sider six point thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big Boon Sider. Thanks again to my guests Ellis Starr, the uber capper of Equa Basse among other things, and
of course Brian Milem from WKYT. Time now for heroes, fools and flakes and our heroes of course on this day, June sixth, the anniversary of D Day, not just the athletes, but anybody who served and fought back then. And there aren't there many left, I can tell you that. But Brian and I touched on some of the athletes, some of the pro athletes who played, probably the most served, rather probably the most famous, as Brian mentioned, Bob Feller, Yogi Bear. There were so many, but there are a
lot of names included that I wasn't aware of. Bobby Jones, the Great Golfer. He was forty years old and convinced the commanding officer of his reserve group to let him fight.
He fought at.
Normandy on D Day, but never spoke about it again, presumably scarred by the experience, and evidently that was the case for a lot of people who fought in any war, really Vietnam, Korea, but World War Two as well. I lived next door to Sandy Bell, the former UK Compliance
Director still work to the UK. Her dad served in World War Two and in fact was one of the driving forces behind the World War Two memorial in d C. He was delivered to Washington, d C. Several years ago on an honors flight so he could be there when they unveiled the statue commemorating those who fought and died in World War Two. And he told me he is a great neighbor. He told me one story about serving he served, and I think the Philippines told me one story.
And that was it. And you can't blame these guys and women for not wanting to talk about what happened. More than one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers from the US, Canada and the UK stormed the shores that day, led by Dwight Eisenhower. Of course, Henry Fonda served, was a lieutenant, was thirty seven years old. He enlisted in forty two, said he didn't want to be a fake in the war studio, and was one of the guys supporting D Day.
Was a quartermaster on a destroyer at D Day, and of course later was in the Longest Day, which focused on the events of D Day. He had a starring role. Also there was an Irish actor named Richard Todd who played a part of that movie. After serving, he was part of the British airborne invasion and he parachuted out of a glider. He was in his group the first to touch the ground. His group jumped out of their planes to stop the Germans from crossing a bridge that
would have allowed them to attack. So Richard Todd also was in the Longest Day, along with Henry Fonda. Two D Day vets in a movie of D Day. But other names of famous people who served. J. D. Salinger, the author wrote The Catcher in the Rye, one of the most famous novels in history of American literature, helped invade Utah Beach on D Day, and it has said that his time in the war informed much of his writing. You know who else served? James Dowan. That's right, Scottie
on Star Trek. He was a lieutenant in the Canadian Army. His men were in charge of taking Juno Beach on D Day. He was hit by six bullets that day but obviously survived it, and one of them cost him the middle finger on one of his hands, but that was it. Obviously survive went onto an acting career and became best known for Scotti. And by the way, when they were making Star Trek, they had to make sure
they never showed that hand with the missing finger. Medgar Evers activist ACP member part of a segregated unit of Black soldiers in charge of delivering supplies during the Normandy invasion. Another actor, David Niven, served. He was one of the first officers to land at Normandy. He later awarded the US Legion of Merit Medal. Sir Alec Guinness Obi Wan Kenobi, part of the British Royal Navy during World War Two, helped land an aircraft that brought British troops to the
beaches of Normandy. Finally, Charles Derning, an actor. He played the father of the Jessica Land character in Tutsie, and he's been in a zillion movies, but he's I think he's best known maybe for that one. There are a lot of others. He landed on Omaha Beach in one of the first waves. That was one of the few soldiers in that first wave to survive. He was shot several times, went on to become a winner of the
Purple Heart and the Silver Star. So obviously those are the heroes we welcome and we remember today are full tonight. Anybody at that station in Fort Waite, Indiana who had anything to do with that news teas being dropped in over top of the Pacers game. They got out just in time our flake tonight will leave you with this. It's the call from Korean broadcasting of the final shot, the final play of last night's Pacers thunder game. These guys had a great time. That's it.
Good night from the garage in Lexington, Indiana.
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